David Hughes is the Daily Telegraph's chief leader writer. He has been covering British politics for 30 years.

Mandelson's defence of Brown? The PM was just lying

Stop digging Mandy, immediately. Labour’s campaign mastermind Lord Mandelson has been busy firefighting the Brown/open mic debacle – and what brilliant defensive strategy has this latter-day Machiavelli come up with? He said, and I quote: “He (Brown) said something he did not believe”. Well, that’s just what we want from a Prime Minister – the ability to tell lies. And a deputy who is happy to admit it. If that’s the best Mandelson can come up with, I fear the strain of running third in this campaign is beginning to show. As for Brown, of course he’s mortified, as Mandy says – but mortified at being caught out, not for uttering that ugly and intolerant description of Gillian Duffy. His “apology” on the Jeremy Vine show after the tape was played was priceless: “I apologise if I said anything like that”. What does he mean “if I said”? We’d just heard him say it on the recording. It’s not just Mrs Duffy’s vote he’s lost today. Incidentally, listen closely to the recording of the PM in his departing Daimler and you can hear a repeated thudding. Sounds to me like an enraged Brown stabbing the seat in front of him with his felt tip.